Texans QB Deshaun Watson says he has improved at managing games

Texans QB Deshaun Watson says he has improved at managing games

The one area where Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has noticed improvement through 15 games in 2018 is his ability to manage game situations.

The former 2017 first-round pick spent time with the media Wednesday and talked about the aspects of his game that has improved since Week 1.

“I’ve gotten a lot better, just the situation of the game,” Watson said. “If you cut the season in half, from the first half of the season to the second half of the season after the bye week, my completion percentage is higher, my turnovers are lower.”

Through the first eight games, Watson had a 64.37 completion percentage and seven interceptions compared to 72.73 percent and just two picks in the last seven games.

Watson recognizes how numbers help the Texans stack wins.

Said Watson: “It puts the team and this offense in a better situation to win games, especially toward the end, and being able to manage those games and situations and taking what the defense is giving me. In the big scheme of things, it puts the defense in a lot of stress because we’re not forcing anything. We kind of keep the chains moving.”

During the Texans’ 0-3 start, Watson threw an interception in each game that was in the opposing team’s territory, nullifying drives that could have resulted in points, a significant likelihood given the total margin of defeat for the three games was 15 points.

“When I take the check down, five yards here and five yards there, and being able to — like I said before — to put the game in my hands in those situations,” said Watson. “I’ve improved a lot in those areas.”

Watson will lead the Texans against the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday at NRG Stadium. In the Week 7 encounter, Watson completed 12 passes on 24 attempts for one touchdown and took just one sack with a 81.8 passer rating. With the Houston run game, which has produced a paltry 198 rushing yards in the past three games, unreliable, Watson may have to play at a higher level. However, in the season finale, he knows when to make the big plays without compromising the Texans’ chance to win.

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